Hair Styling Device Imparting an Updo Hairstyle When Worn and a Different Curled or Straightened Hairstyle When Removed

ABSTRACT

A hair styling device features a headband worn along a hairline of a user&#39;s head and spanning around a crown thereof, an ornamental appearance displayed on a front portion of the headband across the forehead along a front hairline, and a flexible hair roller at a rear portion of the headband to create an updo hairstyle at a rear hairline across the back of the user&#39;s head. The ornamental appearance of the front portion and the updo hairstyle cooperatively impart a stylistic effect around the crown of the user&#39;s head when worn, while a wound state of the hair around the rear portion imparts a styling action that leaves behind a different hairstyle effect when the headband is removed. The styling action may impart a straightening effect on naturally curly hair, or a curling effect on naturally straight hair.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/512,137, filed May 29, 2017, the entiretyof which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to hair accessories and hairstyling devices, and more particularly to a unique device wearable insocial settings to maintain an updo hairstyle, while imparting a stylingaction on the hair to leave a different hairstyle result in the user'shair once the device is removed.

BACKGROUND

Hair extensions are commonly used to add a unique look to a person'snatural hair that differs in design, volume and thickness.

In addition, people with straight hair that want to change their hair'stexture by forming curls or waves have conventionally relied on acurling iron, flat iron or other hot tool accessory, thereby impartingheat damage from such tools which essentially burn the hair into place.Prolonged exposure to hot tools causes hair to break off. These hottools are not recommended for daily use as the damage to the person'snatural hair is too severe, causing breakage split ends discolorationand, at times, even melting.

Professionals agree it is of paramount importance, to limit use of hottools or accessories. Temperatures of hot tool devices can reach 450°F., and are most commonly set at 330-350° F. and up, which is literallydestructive to natural human hair. These hot temperatures, applied toskin, would be instantaneously destructive. First degree burns start at118° F., and at 162° F. human tissue is instantly destroyed on contact,yet people that want curls or waves expose their hair to 300 F everytime they want to re-curl their hair.

Other methods include changing straight hair into curls by the use ofchemical perms, which cause damage by breaking the hair's bonds apart,and reforming the bonds into the shape of the curl. Both curling methodscause excessive damage, and with exposure cause burnt hair, broken hair,melted hair, split ends and hair discoloration. The chemical perm methodis also limited, as the user must grow their hair out for severalmonths, before undergoing another perm. Hair already chemically damagedfrom the prior treatment is impossible to avoid when reapplying the nextperm, which often leads to severed, broken hair.

Accordingly, there has arisen a desire for a completely safe,non-damaging method to create wavy or curly hair in a healthy way.

Recently there has been proposed a new solution in this regard. A curledor wavy look is imparted to a head of sufficiently long hair by donninga foam-filled headband or similar appliance in the evening, wrapping thehair in coiled fashion around the headband, and leaving the applianceand wrapped hair in place overnight during one's sleep, whereby thecoiled condition of the hair around the headband imparts a curlingaction thereon, thus leaving behind a wavy/curled hairstyle when theappliance is removed in the morning. Commercially available products ofthis type include the Aurora Band Night Roller by Aurora Hair Products,as seen at http://www.aurorahairproducts.com/, and the GlamWavesHeatless Roller Band by UK Innovations GP Ltd., as seen athttp://glamwaves.co.uk/.

While providing a useful alternative to curling irons and heated rollerswhose high-heat metal-to-hair contact can be damaging, these headbandproducts are, unsightly during use, and thus are used as “overnight”hairstyling appliances, whereby the appliance can be left in for asufficiently long period to achieve the desired styling effect, withoutthe user worrying about embarrassment of wearing the unsightly applianceoutside the privacy of their home.

It would be desirable to instead provide a wearable hairstylingappliance or device that imparts a similar curling action to the hair,yet is usable in a stylistic manner enabling the user to wear it out insocial settings. Applicant has developed a unique design accomplishingsuch functionality, and also improving on other aspects of suchheadband-based hairstyling products.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a hairstyling device comprising:

a headband wearable in a working position lying along a hairline of auser's head to span around a crown of the user's head with a frontportion of the headband spanning generally across a forehead of theuser's head and a rear portion of the headband spanning across a back ofthe user's head behind the ears thereof;

the front portion of the headband comprising an ornamental appearancefor display in a visible manner across the forehead along a front of thehairline in the working position of the headband; and

the rear portion of the headband comprising a flexible hair roller forwrapping of hair of the user upwardly around said flexible hair rollerfrom therebehind to create an updo hairstyle at a rear of the hairlineacross the back of the user's head between the ears thereof;

whereby the ornamental appearance of the front portion and the updohairstyle cooperatively impart a stylistic effect around the crown ofthe user's head in the working position of the headband, while a woundstate of the hair around the rear portion of the headband imparts astyling action that leaves behind a different hairstyle effect than theupdo hairstyle when the headband is removed.

The front portion of the headband may comprise auxiliary hair providingthe ornamental appearance by complimenting the user's hair at the frontof the hairline.

In such instance, the auxiliary hair may have a pre-set style.

The front portion of the headband may comprise one or more braids.

The one or more braids may be composed of non-hair material.

Alternatively, the auxiliary hair may be braided into said one or morebraids.

The one or more braids may consist of a single braid.

Alternatively, the one or more braids comprise double braids.

The one or more braids may comprise a herringbone braid.

The front portion of the headband may comprise one or more jewelsettings.

The front portion of the headband may comprise one or more items ofjewelry strung thereacross.

The front portion of the headband may comprise a fabric band.

The front portion of the headband may comprise natural or syntheticleather.

There may be provided one or more hair clips attached to the frontportion of the band for use in securing the headband in the workingposition at the front of the hairline.

The flexible hair roller may comprise a tubular cover enclosing a hollowinterior space and one or more inserts received or receivable withinsaid tubular cover.

The one or more inserts may be selectively removable from the tubularcover.

Each of the one or more inserts may comprise a moisture-absorbingmaterial.

The one or more inserts may be heated or heatable.

There may be provided a separate heater operable to heat the one or moreinserts.

Alternatively, the one or more inserts may comprise a self-heatinginsert.

Said self-heating insert may comprise a power cable exiting the tubularcover to connection to an external power supply.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided amethod of using the device comprising wearing the device in the workingposition imparting the stylistic effect in a social setting. The methodmay further involve removing the device from the working position,thereby removing the updo hairstyle from the user's hair and using thedifferent hairstyle effect left behind to achieve a different hairaesthetic wearable in the same, or a different, social setting.

The styling action imparted to the hair in the wound state thereofaround the rear portion of the headband may be a curling action, wherebythe different hairstyle effect left behind is a curled effect by whichthe different hairstyle aesthetic achieved is curlier than a naturalstate of the user's hair.

Alternatively, if the user's hair is naturally frizzy, the stylingaction imparted to the hair in the wound state thereof around the rearportion of the headband may be a straightening action, whereby thedifferent hairstyle effect left behind is a straightened effect by whichthe different hairstyle aesthetic achieved is straighter than a naturalstate of the user's hair.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a hairstyling device comprising:

a headband wearable in a working position spanning around a crown of theuser's head with a front portion of the headband spanning generallyacross a forehead of the user's head and a rear portion of the headbandspanning across a back of the user's head behind the ears thereof forwrapping hair of the user into a wound state around said rear portion ofthe headband to impart a styling action on said hair;

a cover defined at the rear portion of the headband to enclose a hollowinterior space within said cover;

one or more heated or heatable inserts received or receivable withinsaid tubular cover to cooperate therewith to form a flexible a flexiblehair roller for wrapping of hair of the user around said flexible hairroller to impart a curling action on said hair, whereby a heated stateof the one or more inserts inside the tubular cover improves the stylingaction on said hair.

There may be provided a separate heater, wherein the one or more insertsare removably received or receivable in said cover of the headband andthe heater is operable to heat the one or more inserts while outside thecover, thus warming the one or more inserts to a pre-heated state readyfor insertion into the cover.

The heater preferably comprises a heating chamber in which the one ormore inserts are receivable to perform a heating operation thereon.

The heating chamber may have an axial length shorter than the insert toleave a handling end of the insert outside said chamber during theheating operation.

The heater may be operable to disperse ions onto the one or moreinserts.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a hairstyling device comprising:

a headband wearable in a working position spanning around a crown of theuser's head with a front portion of the headband spanning generallyacross a forehead of the user's head and a rear portion of the headbandspanning across a back of the user's head behind the ears thereof;

the rear portion of the headband comprising a flexible hair roller forwrapping of hair of the user around said flexible hair roller to imparta styling action on said hair;

wherein the flexible hair roller comprises a moisture permeable outercover and moisture absorbing material disposed within said outer cover.

In one embodiment, the outer cover of the hair roller comprises atubular cover for enclosing a hollow interior space, and the hair rollerfurther comprises one or more inserts that are received or receivablewithin said tubular cover and comprise the moisture absorbing material.

Each of the one or more inserts may comprise a moisture permeable outercasing in which the moisture-absorbing material is contained.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

One embodiment of the invention will now be described in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a hairstyling device according to oneembodiment of the present invention, which features a headband with abraided ornamental front half for wearing across the forehead at thefront hairline, and a flexible roller-like rear half for wrapping ofhair thereover to hold the hair in an updo style curled around thisroller at the back of the head during wearing of the device.

FIG. 2 is an isolated view of a removable insert of the roller-like rearhalf of the FIG. 1 device.

FIG. 3 is a partially exploded view of a device similar to that of FIG.1, and illustrating insertion of the removable insert of FIG. 2 into atubular cover of the roller-like rear half of the headband.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a variant of the hairstyling device of FIG. 1in which a jeweled set of chains has been substituted for the braidedhair at the ornamental front half of the headband.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a variant of the hairstyling device of FIG. 4showing a different jeweled chain configuration at the ornamental fronthalf of the headband.

FIG. 6 illustrates wrapping of the user's hair around the roller-likerear half of the headband of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a rear view of the worn headband of FIG. 6 with the hair ofthe user fully wrapped around the roller-like rear half of the headbandalong the rear hairline at the back of the user's head to create an updohairstyle.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the worn headband of FIG. 7 illustrating howthe updo-styled hair wrapped around the roller-like rear half of theheadband cooperates with the braided front half of the headband tocreate a stylistic halo or ring-like appearance around the crown of theuser's head.

FIG. 9 is a perspective elevational view of an electric heater forpre-heating the removable insert of the device prior to insertion intothe tubular cover of the headband to improve a styling action impartedby the roller-like rear half of the headband on the hair wrappedtherearound.

FIG. 10 illustrates another variant of the hairstyling device featuringa self-heating insert.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in the different figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a wearable hairstyling device 10 in the form of a closedloop stretchable headband 12 configured to fit securely on the wearer'shead in a working position spanning circumferentially around the crownof the wearer's head in a manner generally following the wearer'shairline. A front half 14 of the headband features a cluster of hair 15tied into a braided pattern for wearing on the user's forehead in aposition lying thereacross over the front of the user's hairline. Thehair used on the device may be real human hair, or synthetic hair.Whether real or synthetic, this hair of the device is also referred toherein as auxiliary hair in order to distinguish it from the user'snatural hair. A rear half of the headband 16 features an elongatedflexible insert 18 that has a circular cylindrical shape, is made of orcontains moisture-absorbing material (e.g. foam), and is encapsulatedwithin a tubular cover 20 whose opposite ends are respectively coupledto the two ends of the front hair braid 14 at connections 22 so that thetubular rear cover 20 and the front hair braid 14 collectively definethe closed-loop shape of the overall headband 12.

In the drawings, the tubular cover 20 is transparent or translucent inorder to visually reveal the insert 18 placed within the hollow interiorof the cover, but it will be appreciated from the described use of thedevice that the tubular cover need not be transparent, and can be madeof an opaque material. The selected fabric of the tubular cover 20 isresiliently stretchable, at least in the longitudinal/axial direction ofits elongated tubular shape spanning the respective half of the closedloop of the overall headband. This longitudinal stretchability of therear half of the headband enables enlargement of the overall closed-loopshape of the headband to allow the headband to stretch over the top ofthe user's head into the working position spanning around the crown ofthe head at hairline level, whereupon the resiliency of the rear tubularcover 20 will self-tighten the headband 12 into secured circumferentialrelation to the user's head.

Referring to FIG. 1, hair extension clips 23 are sewn to the front hairbraid 14 to enablement attachment of the hair braid to the user's hairalong the front hair line with the hair extension clips 23. Togetherwith the tension of the stretched rear half of the headband, these clips23 help keep the braid in place and prevent the braid from slipping offof user's head.

With reference to FIG. 2, the insert 18 of the illustrated embodimentfeatures a circular cylindrical outer casing 24 of air and moisturepermeable material, in which a moisture absorbing material (solid, ornon-solid) is contained between an end cap 26 at one end of the casing24 and an opposing closed end 28 of the casing. The casing is flexibleor bendable in all directions across its longitudinal axis so that itwill flex during stretching of the headband onto the user's head, andwill generally conform around the user's head in the working position ofthe headband. With reference to FIG. 3, the tubular cover 20 features anopen or openable slit or access hole 20 a in one side of the tubularcover near one end thereof to enable insertion and withdrawal of theinsert 18 thereto and therefrom, for reasons described herein furtherbelow. The circular cylindrical shape of the insert imparts a circularcylindrical shape to the tubular cover when inserted therein, wherebythe resulting circular cylindrical shape of the overall rear half of theheadband creates an effective hair roller around which the user'snatural hair can be wound, as described below.

With reference to FIG. 6, with the insert 18 received inside the tubularcover 20 at the rear half 16 of the headband, the user slips theheadband 12 downwardly into place over the crown of the head until thefront braid 14 resides generally of the front hairline at the top of theforehead and spans from an area just over or behind one ear to thematching area over/behind the other ear, and the rear half 16 of theheadband spans around the back of head between the user's ears atroughly hairline level. In this working position of the headband, theuser's hair naturally hangs downward from behind the headband. One tufta time, this naturally hanging hair is wrapped upwardly and externallyover the roller-defining rear half 16 of the headband 12, and back downthe inside of the headband between the rear cover 20 and the user'shead. This wrapping of the hair tuft may be made easier by pulling theroller-defining rear half 16 of the headband away from the user's headto open up a space between the headband and the user's head, as shown inFIG. 6. The hair tuft is repeatedly wrapped around the roller-definingrear half 16 of the headband in this manner, until the full length ofthe hair tuft is coiled around the rear half of the headband. Thisprocess is repeated tuft-by-tuft, from a first tuft of natural hair atone temple, and around the back of the head to the other temple, untilall the natural hair has been wrapped around the roller-defining rearhalf 16 of the headband.

The finished result is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, where the coiled tufts ofhair tightly wound around the rear half of the headband create a uniqueupdo hairstyle in which a pronounced rim of coiled hair extends alongthe rear hair line from one ear to the other. From each end of this rimof coiled natural hair at the rear and sides of the head, the front hairbraid 14 spanning across the front hairlines creates a continuedextension of this rim, whereby the coiled natural hair and braidedauxiliary hair create a full ring or halo aesthetic spanning around theentirety of the user's head. The roller-defining rear half 16 of theheadband is entirely concealed from sight by the natural hair woundtherearound, and the front braid 14 provides an ornamental appearanceacross the front hair line that compliments and accentuates the updostyle of the wearer's natural hair, as maintained by the roller-definingrear half 16 of the headband.

When worn for a sufficient length of time by a user having naturallystraight hair, later removal of the headband will inherently leave curlsor waves in the areas of the user's natural air that were wound tightlyaround the roller-defining rear half 16 of the headband 12. In otherwords, at the rear half 16 of the headband, the tubular cover 20 and theinsert 18 received therein effectively define a flexible hair rollerthat conformingly spans around the back of the user's head from one earto the other in order to impart a curling action on the natural hairwound around this flexible roller. So while the headband serves as acurl/wave imparting hairstyle appliance leaving behind a curled/wavyhairstyle after removal, similar to the overnight hairbands of the priorart, it also has an entirely unique ornamental mode of operation servingto achieve and maintain a unique updo hairstyle while worn. Accordingly,the device is not limited to “overnight” applications, as it can be wornout of the house for any number of different outings, including specialevents or other social settings where the desire for a stylisticappearance is fulfilled by the unique updo achieved by the worn use ofthe device.

For optimal results, before winding the user's natural hair around therear roller of the headband, the user's natural hair is firstpre-dampened by spraying/misting thereof with water, a water-based sprayprimer or other suitable hair product. The natural hair is then rolledaround the roller-defining rear half 16 of the headband, and set. Oncethe natural hair is wound on the headband, it is the drying process ofhair from damp to dry that sets and forms the wave/curl in the naturallystraight hair. In the case of the present embodiment, the drying of thehair is aided by the moisture absorbing material in the insert 18 of theroller-defining rear half 16 of the headband. This moisture absorptionis effective on the user's dampened natural hair via the air andmoisture permeable materials employed for the tubular cover 20 of theheadband 12 and the casing 24 of the removable insert 18. This process,damp-to-dry setting of the natural hair, lasts much longer than anyother form of curling hair, and will usually last at least two days,even without application of heat. However, applicant has also developeda unique variant of this process that further involves the use of heatto further contribute to the curling action of the device.

However, before turning to the heated variant, attention is given topotential variations on the design of the headband itself. As discussedabove, the braided hair headband of FIG. 1 provides a unique overallhairstyle with a natural hair updo at the back and an auxiliary hairbraid at the front when worn. The headband shown in FIGS. 1 and 3features a singular braid spanning the front half of the headband, butother variants could have a double braid. The style of each braid mayalso vary from the traditional braid shown in the drawings, and forexample may include a herringbone or fishtail braid. The size of thebraid may of course also be varied, for example as shown by thedifference in braid size illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3. Other variantscould use one or more lengths of braided material other than hair toprovide similar ornamental effect, for example braided strands ofnatural or synthetic/faux leather.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show additional variants of the headband design, where theornamental function of the front half 14′ of the headband is provided bya jeweled set of chains. FIG. 4 shows one chain configuration in which aprimary chain 30 spans the entirety of the headband's front half 14′ byhaving its opposing ends coupled to the ends of the tubular cover 20 atconnections 22, and a series of smaller secondary chains 32 hangend-to-end with one another along the primary chain 30. A gem setting 34with a cluster of gems (which may be real gemstones or costume-gradesimulated gemstones) hangs centrally of the primary chain 30 between twoadjacent secondary chains. FIG. 5 shows another chain-ornamented versionof the front half 14″ of the headband with a primary chain 30, and asingular secondary chain 32′ residing centrally of the primary chainwith its two ends suspended therefrom, and a respective gem setting 34a, 34 b attached centrally to each chain to hang therefrom and supportone or more gems.

These are of course only two illustrative examples of jewelry chainconfigurations having one or more chains formed in a conventional mannerby interlocking chain links. While the two illustrated chain examplesinclude gem settings, other variants may lack such gems, and insteadrely solely on the ornamental value of the chains, or may instead usecharms or other ornamental attachments coupled to the chains instead ofgem settings. Interlocking chain links are just one example of usingjewelry ornamentation in place of braided material, and other examplesmay include one or more strings of pearls, or other strung jewelryitems.

As another ornamental alternative to braids, chains or other strungjewelry at the front half of the headband, a simple band of fabric mayspan between the two ends of the rear tubular cover at the front ofheadband, and may carry one or more gems thereon, and/or have a printedor natural ornamental pattern thereon. This ornamental band may beresiliently stretchable, and thus contribute to the self-fittingself-securing resiliency of the overall headband, or may be made of anon-stretchable fabric. Cotton and spandex are just two examples of alarger variety of fabrics that may be employed for use in a jewelled,non-jewelled, printed or naturally patterned fabric band at theornamental front half of the headband.

While the device is described above as useful to impart a curling orwavy effect to naturally straight hair, the device may alternatively beused to help smooth out naturally curly or frizzy hair. In suchinstance, the wrapping of the hair around the roller-defining rear halfof the headband, where the thickness of the headband exceeds thediameter of the frizzy hair's tight natural curls, helps reduce thecurliness/frizziness of the natural hair, as the radius of curvatureimparted to the hair by its wound condition around the headband notablyexceeds the much smaller radius of the tight natural curls. Most peoplewith naturally curly hair tend to use a curling iron to reduce frizz andsmooth their hair for a loose wave effect. Heat damage from suchpractices ironically causes so much damage that the user's hair getsexponentially more damaged, thus inducing more frizz, which then must besmoothed out every day by daily repetition of the same damage-inducingprocess. The conventional hot tool method is thus not a solution, butrather just a self-perpetuation of the problem. Unheated use of thepresently disclosed headband thus provides the frizzy haired user's witha safe, non-damaging option for straightening or smoothing their naturalcurls.

As mentioned above, though the presently disclosed headband may be usedin an entirely unheated fashion to fully avoid any and all possible heatdamage, a heated variant is also disclosed herein that uses some heat tohelp set the natural hair, but without the direct, high temperaturehair-metal contact of conventional hot tools.

This is illustrated in FIG. 9, which shows an electric heater 40 havinga singular cylindrical heating chamber 42 opening downwardly into theheater housing at the topside thereof. The heating chamber 42 is sizedfor slidable lowering of the insert 18 into the chamber once the insert18 has been removed from the headband. The heater thus pre-heats theinsert 18 prior to insertion thereof into the tubular cover 20 of theheadband, whereby the heat stored by the insert 18 in the worn headbandwill radiate out through the fabric of the tubular cover 20 into thehair wound around the rear half of the headband, where the heat willcontribute to setting of the hair into the curled/straightened state.However, the tubular cover 20 provides a layer of physical isolationbetween the hair and the heated insert 18, thus reducing the directcontact experienced with conventional hot tools. Also, theflexible/bendable insert 18 is not metal, and is not heated to thedramatic levels of conventional hot tools, as the insert 18 must be oflow enough temperature to prevent burning or damage of the tubular cover20 and the user's scalp that resides behind the tubular cover in theworn state of the headband.

The illustrated heater 40 features an electrical cord 44 with aconventional plug 46 for mating with a mains power socket, anon-indicator light 48 confirming the powered-up state of the heater whenplugged in, and a ready-indictor light 50 that illuminates aftercompletion of a heating cycle to inform the user the insert 18 hasreached a pre-set temperature, for example 285 to 390 degreesFahrenheit, and is ready for use.

Termination of the heating cycle may be determined by expiration of atimer, for example employing a heat cycle time of 75-seconds, ordetected confirmation that a target temperature has been reached. Thevisually distinct cap 26 at one end of the illustrated insert 18 servesas a visual marker of safe handle end by which the insert 18 can bemanually grasped after heating. The length of the heating chamber 42 ofthe heater is shorter than the axial length of the insert 18, wherebyinsertion of the insert 18 into the heater marker-side-up ensures thatthis visually marked end 26 of the insert remains cooler to the touchthan the remainder of the insert that resides directly inside theheating chamber 42 during the heating cycle.

When the ready-indicator light illuminates, the user pulls the insert 18from the heater by the cool handling end 26, and places the insert intothe tubular cover 20 of the headband 12. The insert 18 may feature useof ionic energy which neutralizes the positive charges in the air thatcause frizziness and static electricity. Ionization of hair rollers aspart of a heating cycle is already known, for example as disclosed forexample in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0118425, theentirety of which is incorporated herein, and so further details of thesimilar ionization of the headband insert of the present invention isnot explicitly disclosed herein.

As an alternative to a removable insert that is heated up externally ofthe headband and then inserted into the tubular rear half of theheadband, FIG. 10 illustrates another embodiment employing aself-heating cylindrical insert 18′ received in the rear tubular cover20′ of the headband, which in the illustrated example employs a simplestrip-shaped span of stretchy material to form the front half 14″ of theoverall headband. The rear tubular cover 20′ in this embodiment may lacka sufficiently sized slit or opening by which the insert can be removed,instead intending for the insert to remain a permanent fixture of theheadband remaining inside the tubular cover at all times.

The insert 18′ features an electrical cord 44 that exits the tubularcover via a smaller opening or slit therein, and that has a suitablepower plug 46 for mating with a conventional AC mains power socket orother suitable power supply. With the user's hair wrapped around theroller-defining rear half of the headband, the electrical cord isplugged in, and the insert 18′ warms to a predetermined temperature,e.g. 385 to 390 degrees Fahrenheit, for example reaching this operatingtemperature in a heating-cycle time of approximately 75-seconds. Theelevated operating temperature of the self-heated insert sets the hairwithin 1-2 minutes, causing the hair to take on the shape of the roundcylindrical insert to form waves/curls in the hair, as described for theearlier removable-insert embodiment.

Once the hair is set, the self-heating insert is turned off, whether byunplugging of the power cable or by actuation of an optional on/offswitch. In this unpowered state terminating the heating function theinsert cools down, and the cooling allows the hair to set and lockfurther into place, rather than relying just on heat alone. The coolingcloses the cuticle of the hair, which locks it into place in the form ofthe wave/curl, making the waves last much longer, than if heat alone wasapplied. This embodiment features a non-ornamental stretchy fabric spanat the front half, as it is not intended be to worn for stylisticpurposes. On the other hand, the power cord may be selectivelydetachable from the insert 18′ to allow the headband to be worn out as astyle accessory, in which case the braided or jewellery-based fronthalves of the other embodiments may be employed. FIG. 12 also showsoptional clips 52 made of heat conductive material that may be used tobetter hold the hair in place along the roller-defining of the headband.

It will be appreciated that the benefits of a removable heatable rollerinsert 18 and/or the benefit of using a moisture absorbent material inthe insert may be employed for headband-type hair styling devices,regardless of whether they have an ornamental front half suitable forwearing during an outing or are less-aesthetic “overnight” productsintended only for private use. Likewise, the front-ornamented headbandneed not necessarily employ moisture absorbent material in the rearroller-defining half of the headband or feature a removable/heatableinsert in order to allow the headband to fulfill its ornamental, updostyling function.

Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein abovedescribed, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same madewithin the scope of the claims without departure from such scope, it isintended that all matter contained in the accompanying specificationshall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.

1. A hair styling device comprising: a headband wearable in a workingposition lying along a hairline of a user's head to span around a crownof the user's head with a front portion of the headband spanninggenerally across a forehead of the user's head and a rear portion of theheadband spanning across a back of the user's head behind the earsthereof; the front portion of the headband comprising an ornamentalappearance for display in a visible manner across the forehead along afront of the hairline in the working position of the headband; and therear portion of the headband comprising a flexible hair roller forwrapping of hair of the user upwardly around said flexible hair rollerfrom therebehind to create an updo hairstyle at a rear of the hairlineacross the back of the user's head between the ears thereof; whereby theornamental appearance of the front portion and the updo hairstylecooperatively impart a stylistic effect around the crown of the user'shead in the working position of the headband, while a wound state of thehair around the rear portion of the headband imparts a styling actionthat leaves behind a different hairstyle effect than the updo hairstylewhen the headband is removed.
 2. The device of claim 1 wherein the frontportion of the headband comprises auxiliary hair providing theornamental appearance by complimenting the user's hair at the front ofthe hairline.
 3. The device of claim 2 wherein the auxiliary hair has apre-set style.
 4. The device of claim 1 wherein the front portion of theheadband comprises one or more braids.
 5. The device of claim 1 whereinthe front portion comprises one or more jewel settings.
 6. The device ofclaim 1 wherein the front portion comprises one or more items of jewelrystrung thereacross.
 7. The device of claim 1 wherein the front portioncomprises a fabric band.
 8. The device of claim 1 comprising one or morehair clips attached to the front portion of the band for use in securingthe headband in the working position at the front of the hairline. 9.The device of claim 1 wherein the flexible hair roller comprises atubular cover enclosing a hollow interior space and one or more insertsreceived or receivable within said tubular cover.
 10. The device ofclaim 9 wherein the one or more inserts are selectively removable fromthe tubular cover.
 11. The device of claim 9 wherein each of the one ormore inserts comprises a moisture-absorbing material.
 12. The device ofclaim 9 in combination with a separate heater operable to heat the oneor more inserts.
 13. The device of claim 9 wherein said one or moreinserts comprises a self-heating insert.
 14. The device of claim 13wherein said self-heating insert comprises a power cable exiting thetubular cover to connection to an external power supply.
 15. A method ofusing the device of claim 1 comprising wearing the device in the workingposition imparting the stylistic effect in a social setting.
 16. Themethod of claim 15 further comprising removing the device from theworking position, thereby removing the updo hairstyle from the user'shair and using the different hairstyle effect left behind to achieve adifferent hair aesthetic wearable in the same, or a different, socialsetting.
 17. The method of claim 16 wherein the styling action impartedto the hair in the wound state thereof around the rear portion of theheadband is a curling action, whereby the different hairstyle effectleft behind is a curled effect by which the different hairstyleaesthetic achieved is curlier than a natural state of the user's hair.18. The method of claim 16 wherein the user's hair is naturally frizzyand the styling action imparted to the hair in the wound state thereofaround the rear portion of the headband is a straightening action,whereby the different hairstyle effect left behind is a straightenedeffect by which the different hairstyle aesthetic achieved is straighterthan a natural state of the user's hair.
 19. A hair styling devicecomprising: a headband wearable in a working position spanning around acrown of the user's head with a front portion of the headband spanninggenerally across a forehead of the user's head and a rear portion of theheadband spanning across a back of the user's head behind the earsthereof for wrapping hair of the user into a wound state around saidrear portion of the headband to impart a styling action on said hair; acover defined at the rear portion of the headband to enclose a hollowinterior space within said cover; one or more heated or heatable insertsreceived or receivable within said tubular cover to cooperate therewithto form a flexible a flexible hair roller for wrapping of hair of theuser around said flexible hair roller to impart a curling action on saidhair, whereby a heated state of the one or more inserts inside thetubular cover improves the styling action on said hair.
 20. A hairstyling device comprising: a headband wearable in a working positionspanning around a crown of the user's head with a front portion of theheadband spanning generally across a forehead of the user's head and arear portion of the headband spanning across a back of the user's headbehind the ears thereof; the rear portion of the headband comprising aflexible hair roller for wrapping of hair of the user around saidflexible hair roller to impart a styling action on said hair; whereinthe flexible hair roller comprises a moisture permeable outer cover andmoisture absorbing material disposed within said outer cover.